NASA payload to fly on first Blue Origin lunar lander mission
Science & Technology

NASA payload to fly on first Blue Origin lunar lander mission

NASA Space Technology WASHINGTON — A NASA payload will hitch a ride to the moon on Blue Origin’s first lunar lander mission, scheduled to launch as soon as next March.In an Aug. 6 procurement filingNASA revealed it selected Blue Origin to fly a camera system to study how engine plumes interact with regolith at south polar regions of the moon, collecting data to support future crewed landing missions. The payload, called Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume Surface Studies (SCALPSS), will fly through NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program.One copy of SCALPSS was sent to the moon on the first Intuitive Machines lander mission in February, collecting limited data. A second copy of SCALPSS will fly on Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander, scheduled to launch late this year. However, NASA says it needs to fly...
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Payload Adapter Finding out: A Key Step for Artemis IV Rocket’s Success
Science & Technology

Payload Adapter Finding out: A Key Step for Artemis IV Rocket’s Success

NASA Space Technology Lee BegMar 21, 2024A check version of the SLS (Space Open System) rocket’s payload adapter is ready for evaluate, marking a serious milestone on the spin to the hardware’s debut on NASA’s Artemis IV mission.Made from two metal rings and eight composite panels, the cone-fashioned payload adapter will be allotment of the SLS Block 1B configuration and housed within the current stage adapter atop the rocket’s more extremely efficient in-area stage, known as the exploration upper stage. The payload adapter is an evolution from the Orion stage adapter damaged-down in the Block 1 configuration of the fundamental three Artemis missions that sits at the topmost allotment of the rocket and helps connect the rocket and spacecraft.“Like the Orion stage adapter and the open automobile stage adapter damaged-down for the fundamental three SLS...
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